Art of Listening

If you’re honest with yourself, these first two stages of listening are what you experience most often in your life. This is the world you grew up in at school, church and home; and now today, you experience it at work and with your family. These two stages of listening have been well rehearsed, and to that end, you’re left with the gnawing pangs of emptiness and atrophy in your gut.

These were the precise words my son’s teacher spoke to him as his finger searched for the A note on his E string. Laurie’s statement was an invitation for Aidan to listen to, and allow the natural beauty and lush overtones of the violin to ring forth and resonate within his body and soul. Well, that may be a bit of a stretch, but note this: when a violinist plays in tune with her instrument, the violin naturally resonates with brilliance, clarity and beauty. In other words, its voice is awakened.